With a major Communist Party meeting looming, China’s Propaganda Ministry has issued a directive saying that all TV shows must reflect the “China Dream,” focusing on patriotic stories and anti-fascist themes.
It was unclear whether the ruling would affect overseas TV shows, which largely screen online, but the ruling is aimed at all shows ahead of the 18th session of the fourth plenum in October, a major date in the Communist Party calendar.
President Xi Jinping has launched a major crackdown on corruption. Any shows broadcasting before the plenum have to reflect the “China Dream,” an ideology of realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
“Anti-fascist” is a euphemism for Japan’s behavior during WW2, as China believes Japan has not done enough to atone for atrocities during the conflict.
Relations between China and Japan are at a low ebb, with the two Asian powerhouses hotly disputing a chain of uninhabited islands in resource-rich waters in the East China Sea, known as the Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese, and there are fears these tensions could escalate.
